Warriors: Scalabrine reports for duty in Santa Cruz

Brian Scalabrine reported to work with the Santa Cruz Warriors on Thursday as the team's new player development coach.

Santa Cruz head coach Casey Hill told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that he expected the 6-foot-9 Scalabrine, who played 11 NBA seasons, to concentrate on the team's power forwards and centers.

One of Scalabrine's roles with the Warriors had been working out individually with center Andrew Bogut.

"I had a great relationship with Scal," Bogut said Thursday. "Obviously you never want to see anybody go, but at the end of the day, Coach makes the decisions, and I don't think it's going to affect chemistry too much. Players have their chemistry, coaches have their chemistry."

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Brian Scalabrine prepares to stand up while on the bench with head coach Mark Jackson, far right, while playing the Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013. Jackson has reportedly forced the reassignment of assistant coach Scalabrine. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO
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Warriors head coach Mark Jackson announced Scalabrine's reassignment Tuesday due to a "difference in philosophies." Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told a Boston radio station he had spoken with Scalabrine, adding, "I think Brian takes responsibility for it." Whatever the reasoning or timing, Bogut said he respected Jackson's decision.

"It doesn't matter if it happens in October or February, it's something you've got to adjust to and move on from," Bogut said. "You can't sit there cry about it. You're professional. At the end of the day, we've still got to come out and play when the lights come on."

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"He's the coach. He makes the decisions. We're not silly enough to believe anything else. He chooses his staff, and he decides which players play minutes and which players don't, so we respect Coach wholeheartedly for that. He's the head honcho, and everybody else kind of has to be his support staff. If he felt like it wasn't getting done that way, it's his decision."

Hill told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that Scalabrine would bring "tons of energy, tons of enthusiasm" to the Warriors' NBA Development League affiliate.

"My focus is having him here and making this a positive experience for everyone involved, and that's what we're going to do," Hill said. "And he's been great so far."